How to take care of chilblains
October 31, 2008
Chilblains can be extremely painful for anyone who gets them. Although they usually occur on the toes, and are sometimes mistaken for frostbite, they can also affect other parts of the body. The nose and the ears are other common targets for chilblains. Chilblains occur when the feet warm up from the cold a bit too fast and the blood vessels do not respond fast enough to warming.
Symptoms of chilblains include soreness, burning and itching in the infected areas. There are several contributing factors that may cause chilblains, such as poor circulation. But that does not mean that someone with good circulation cannot get chilblains. Cold and dry weather is the most important contributing factor.
The best chilblains treatment is prevention. Wearing warm footwear and thick socks will certainly help. A lot of people let their feet warm up too quickly, which should be avoided, as this is what primarily causes chilblains. Putting the feet directly near a source of heat could be a bad idea if you have just come indoors from the cold.
Usually, chilblains do go away on their own, but to provide relief, there is chilblains treatment available in the form of a number of ointments and creams available, although it might be a good idea to try natural medication, which has proven to be quite effective.